Facebook is seeing success in the sub-Sahara African market, according to Forbes.

Monthly active users (MAU) in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya have increased substantially year-over-year, by 16%, 6%, and 18%, respectively. The continent represents a key pillar for the future growth of Facebook, as roughly 66% of Facebook’s MAU are based in emerging markets like Africa.

Users in emerging markets are becoming increasingly lucrative. Facebook was earning a measly $0.32 per user in its “rest of world” segment in Q1 2012. Today, it generates almost four times that amount. Part of that growth is attributed to the 80 million people who currently use Facebook Lite, which is optimized for low-bandwidth use and ideal for emerging markets. Still, only 25% of its revenue comes from this segment.

Africa's potential smartphone growth is one of the big opportunities that Facebook is interested in:

There are almost 1 billion mobile phone subscriptions in Africa, according to Ericsson. And in just three years, smartphones are expected to account for ~73% of the continent’s devices, representing upward of 730 million smartphone handsets.

African countries have experienced steady growth in internet penetration over the past decade. The number of internet users increased from0.8% of the population in 2000 to 20% in 2014. Mobile broadband accounts for more than 90% of internet subscriptions.

To bolster this growth, Facebook is doubling its efforts to make connecting to the internet easier and more affordable for the "unconnected." Some of these initiatives, such as its zero-rated Free Basics app, have been controversial — Free Basics was recently banned in India. However, its drone and satellite programs, which are set to launch later this year, may prove promising, according to Facebook's head of Africa Nunu Ntshingila. The company is also contributing to open-source projects aimed at building more affordable network infrastructure.

Nevertheless, like Google, Facebook's push into these new markets is as much a savvy business move as it is an altruistic endeavor. Connecting the unconnected through Facebook products and services gives the company access to a vast new market of consumers, which it can then monetize through ad revenue and B2C connections. It also gives the platform a foot-in-the-door for a potential new audience for its messaging platforms Messenger and WhatsApp.